Nebula Volume XII: A Touch Too Much
“The album is done. They’ll take awhile with all of the after stuff, but you can at least spread the word that it’s all recorded.” I smile a little wider at retelling the good news. I always love giving Pamela a call just to keep her up to speed. “It’s going to be fourteen tracks. Prism might sneak on a track from the live CD as a bonus, they aren’t sure yet. We were all okay with it, but you know us. We’re all about the fans.”
Pamela’s silky laugh flows from the phone and I try my hardest not to audibly tremble. She has a voice made for late night television. “Good, good . . . Thanks for always keeping me in the loop, Sylvie. You’re so precious.”
“You’re going to make me blush, Pam.” There’s something so hot about ducking away from Nikki and the rest of the band to melt into a corner and whisper all about my life. It’s all my business, and Pamela is a legitimate member of the press, but something about it feels so dirty. Sometimes I have daydreams about arranging to meet in person and fucking in a closet before telling her things I’d never tell her.
“You’re holding a detail back. You’re doing it in that sexy way where you try to act like you’ve told me everything, but have some other little secret you can’t tell. You know that makes me hot. Come on, spill. I never leak the good stuff. I keep that, and get prepared to be the first one to reveal it as it happens.” Sarah always told me we were bad luck for reporters and to stay far away from them. I’m glad that I was never very good at listening to anything Sarah told me. “Come on. Tell.”
Getting so much great coverage on some of my more exciting moments has made her more and more busy. I haven’t seen her in person when I’m not saving the day in . . . at least a couple months.
I don’t feel lonely or neglected. Our relationship is a professional one. Someone is in trouble? Something happens? I give her a call. It winds up on the news. I don’t know why some people find minimal footage of me bouncing around in my Nebula uniform with brief interview afterward so enthralling, but it seems to rake in the viewers. I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised. I did use the word ‘bouncing’.
“Tour is starting in Midas. We’re dedicating the first stop to Silver Girl, since without her none of these songs would have been written. Plus they all think I need to get over myself and finally talk to her again. We haven’t really spoken since she saved us.” It’s still so embarrassing how young and stupid I acted. “Exciting enough?”
Pamela laughs again making me clench my thighs. “Plenty exciting. I’ll see if I can’t be there, just in case anything exciting happens. You seem to bring excitement with you if it’s not already waiting for you. I need to go, but I promise if I can make it I’ll be there. You’re helping me get a shot at some very exciting career opportunities. I’ll be sure to keep you in the loop, just do the same for me. Enjoy yourself, Sylvie.”
The line goes dead. I hold the phone to my chest with a dreamy sigh. She makes me feel so important. No one else I’ve met has ever understood the depths of pleasure I can feel from being up on stage. Being on a million televisions makes being Nebula that much sweeter. I know Nikki and the rest of the band enjoy the feeling, but . . . the way Pam thrives on it, the way she glows on screen . . . something about her just screams a deeper understanding.
It’s been so long since I’ve seen Sarah or Valerie. It’s also been a long time since I’ve tried calling Aurora. When that other woman picked up the phone it drove me crazy. I don’t think I could take it again.
Nikki appears from around the corner. I tuck away my phone and wiggle my fingers. She knows I’m an informant. The whole band does. So far it’s been nothing but good for us.
“Now all we have to do is hurry up and wait. That means we have a little extra time just you and me.” Nikki wraps her arms around me before pulling me off my feet, holding me against her. I’m the super heroine and she’s the one that lifts me off my feet. “I thought we might have a little very private ‘us’ time. Sound good to you?”
“Oooh yeah. Not hat I don’t like recording a CD, but fuck was that easier without a thought in my head. It was better this way, but I swear last time was a lot quicker. Wasn’t just me, was it?” I wrap my arms around her neck. “Doesn’t matter. This time was a lot better. This was actually us. If we tank I think I’ll curl into a ball and cry for a year. I think my lyrics were the biggest change. If everyone hates it, it’s completely my fault and we both know it.”
Nikki rolls her eyes and grins more than she already was. I love that grin. I love her face, her body, her everything . . .
Something in her eyes dims, and it isn’t her thoughts. She lowers me to my feet with a sigh. “We’ve been together this long, and you still think of her when I’m holding you. We’re going back to Midas first stop on the tour. Any coincidences there that I should know about? She coming to visit?”
“You said before you’d like that, being the center of a LaSilvas sandwich . . .” I’ve never heard or seen her so upset about Aurora. “Were you just saying that to get me in bed with you? It worked, and I don’t want out, but . . .”
“I just want to rank a little higher. We’ve been together nine months. That’s almost a year. You haven’t seen her in a year, and you didn’t part on very good terms. Is it too much that I want to have some privacy away from her shadow sometimes? Is it okay that I’d love to be fucking you without seeing that you’re comparing me to her? It’d be fucking wonderful. Should I get some brown contacts? Should I dress different?” Nikki’s eyes are wet. She’s not crying, but she’s so close to tears the distinction barely matters. “I want an hour where you think of me more than her. I want a time where thinking of her makes you think of me. I want you to tell me that if right now, you could spend a day with me or her, it would be me.”
She’s not asking me to only want one of them, but it’s still painfully confusing. I don’t want to chose, and she means the world to me, but that would be easier. Telling her that I don’t ache for Aurora is a lie. Telling her I wouldn’t take Aurora over her . . .
Nikki sighs and pulls away. “We’re not over. I don’t want to break up. I don’t even want to have this fight. I just want you to tell me that you love me. I want you to remind me that you might be hung up on her, but that I’m more than just filling in. I want you to tell me that I’m special. Is that so hard?”
“No.” I stand tall as I can pressing my lips to hers. I sneak just enough of my power into the kiss to open a fresh empathic link. I can taste her worry. I know she can taste my love. I caress along her arm and squeeze. I need her. I love her. I adore her.
“But not like you love her. I think I need some time alone, Sylvia. We’ve been spending a lot of time together. Teaching you the guitar, fucking, making the CD . . . I think I need to go be alone for awhile. Besides, I need to pack and get ready for the tour.” She’s lying. She knows I can feel it, but she doesn’t care. She knows I understand why she’s saying it. “Just . . . Sometimes hurts to be second place. Just a substitute . . .”
I don’t try to stop her when she pulls away. She’s right. She had to know that before now. Maybe she thought I’d change.
She walks away.
I don’t follow. I know I probably should but I can’t apologize. I’d have to lie to say anything close to what she wants to hear. Thinking of Midas again has made it hard to think of anything besides Aurora. It’ll be nice to see Sarah and Valerie again, but the woman I want to see most isn’t even going to be there.
I pull out my cellphone and stare at Aurora’s picture next to her number. Who knows if she still looks the same. It has been a year. I doubt I look the same, not even counting the piercing. I clench my hand around the phone and only notice my power flowing into it after the sickening pop of electronics frying. Aurora used to do that a lot when she first got used to using her power, but this is my first time. I throw down the useless shell of a phone and sigh. A new phone isn’t that expensive.
When I tour through California I’ll need to find her. I need to show her my soul and how much it needs her. For now, I turn on my heels, and click my way to the rear elevator.
Without Nikki to spend the empty time with, I guess I’ll have to spend some time with Nebula.
The streets of my city are quiet. They’re quiet for New York, anyway. There’s plenty of conversation, walking people, rushing cabs, but nothing like screams, gunshots, or explosions. I’m not dumb enough to ask the world for unnecessary excitement.
I’m still wearing the uniform Nina gave me, but I can’t say I’ve come up with a better idea. Capes do pose a bit of a health risk.
Sarah wore a cape when she was a teenager. I wonder why she stopped. I wonder if she ever regrets that. The pictures Susan has of her dressed up in a nice long cape, big boots, and a glittery leotard were adorable. Argentia wasn’t that bad of a name, either.
I round a corner and wave to a small pack of girls that squeal when they see me. Fans of me behind a mic or saving the day? I couldn’t tell you. Maybe I should get a mask or a pair of goggles. A pair of gloves wouldn’t be a bad idea, either. I think my nebula can give off enough force to push a cape out of my way, but maybe I should just try it and see if I like the way it feels. It would be nice to feel a little more like I’m fitting the role I’ve chosen for myself.
Just as I finish walking past a bank, its wall loses a perfect doorway-size chunk in a beautiful blue explosion. A woman carrying a handgun with part of a super soaker attached runs out as if she were using the force of the explosion to propel herself.
Unfortunately for her, I actually react in time. She stops at the edge of the sidewalk to avoid becoming a street pizza and I kick the gun out of her hand. I’ve never done that before, but it makes my body pulse. Goddess it’s fun to be an adrenaline junkie. “Sorry hun, but you just blew a hole in a bank in my city. That’s not something you get away with. You can come easy, or you can come crawling on your knees. The latter is a very popular option. You’d be the third this month.”
She snorts and rolls her eyes, pushing some white hair from her face. She doesn’t look old enough to have it naturally, and her outfit, a standard black catsuit complete with a shiny neck-to-crotch zipper, and the lab coat over it, is covered with burn marks. It’s a cute look even if she looks like an accident waiting to happen.
“Damn it. I really like that gun. Oh well, I’ll just make another one. I have plenty of spare parts, and all of this cash should fill in for any I’m missing!” A large bag doubtlessly full of money is slung over her back. It’s a classic pose.
“So what do they call you? Lab Accident?” I hold out my hands in front of me, willing my power to flow. It reaches out from my hands and dives towards her only to miss when she falls to her knees and rolls out of the way. She sets the money down, and brushes herself off before standing up. I’m glad I found a way to make my power move a little faster, even if that does mean I have to work on my aim. “You could pick that up and carry it back into the bank. I don’t think you’d just get a wrist slap, but I know I’d appreciate it.”
She doesn’t respond, and instead reaches into her lab coat and throws something at my feet. I try to move out of the way, but my feet are stuck fast against the sidewalk. Yellow-green goo holds them down and doesn’t give at all when I try to pull away. It doesn’t feel gross, just a little sticky and warm.
Desperately I lean down and force my energy into it, careful not to make melty bliss surge through my feet. I really do need to learn more about my powers. I know there have to be so many more interesting ways I could be twisting around magical mist.
The villain laughs and slides her tongue across her lips with a faint shiver. “I’ve never been one for getting slapped, wrist, or elsewhere. You really are gorgeous. I admit, I actually came here from out of state hoping to run into you if I ran into anyone at all. I was on vacation. It’s harder to resist being bad on vacation.” She moves behind me. I try twisting in the goo harder but it’s too strong. My legs are starting to feel sore and I don’t feel any closer to getting free.
In the future, I’m bringing a pocket knife or something to cut my way out of science gunk.
It’s nice to know that I draw a crowd. I’d rather draw fan girls and love-struck heroines with metal skin than villains, but that’s okay. I’d also like to stop thinking about Aurora while in combat with a bank robber.
I arch my back and force my power out from between my shoulder blades. I hear her hit the ground again to dodge, and then see her again when she rises to her feet in front of me. She moves fast, incredibly fast, too fast for me to react before she can press her lips to mine.
Her lips tingle and send dizzying heat through my body. I should break the kiss, or struggle, but it feels too amazing. I feel the kiss pulling my eyes shut and tingling between them. Their taste weakens my knees. I only staying upright because she wraps her arms around me. Her body is so hot against me, but her lips are what’s burning through me.
She pulls back with a half moan. I reach for her lips with mine. “Oh you silly, silly girl . . . sexy, but so silly . . . To think it just took one dose. I’m sure I’m not the first woman to take the name, but my handle? It’s Chem. Maybe I should make it something longer, like Chemistra, or Chemeria, but for now, it’s just Chem. I make things go boom, and women go Mmm.”
I whimper and wrap my arms around her. She half-screams, but I get what I desire. Her lips are everything I ever needed. I can’t think about anything else. I pull her as tight against me as I can. Her lips taste sweet like chocolate, the same kind of melty taste that the more you rub it around with your tongue the more you love it.
She grabs shoulders and starts to push. My arms squeeze her close as tightly as they can. I can’t let her lips get away. She pushes back my forehead, and my neck loses the struggle to keep up the kiss.
“Damn it, girl! Your libido is insane, it was just a little kiss, just a little bit of my special . . . well it was the new extra-strength version I’ve been working on. I guess I made it a little too powerful . . . you don’t look that tough until you’re just about suffocating me.” Her eyes are glassy. She liked it as much as I did. I want more! “Hey, stop it! I’m not really in the mood for being arrested because h—!”
I hold her wrists behind her back. She isn’t prepared for it. Her lips surrender to mine. I normally like at least a little tongue, but her lips are what I need. They’re what I crave. This time, I won’t let her get away.
So close, she can’t wiggle out of the way when I make my glittery power flow from every place our bodies touch. From our hips to our lips, we’re connected by my power flowing more and more through her body and rubbing away her mind. She screams in the kiss, cries out, but she can’t pull away. Shes tarts to shake and I hold her tighter.
Need your lips . . . need them so bad . . . they make me feel better than sex, better than Aurora, better . . . oh give them to me forever!
She groans, and stops pushing away and struggling. She’s still shaking from all of the silver shuddering through her, amplified by the glittering violet mist, but now she’s grabbing me instead of pushing away. She moans and rubs her chest against mine.
I can feel her cravings echoing mine. The taste of lips, hot lips that make the world melt away as toes curl is all that matters. I rake my nails down her back, and she screams. I slide my fingers through her hair and hold her lips as tight against mine as I can.
Can’t think. I just need her lips. I’ve never needed anything like this before.
When I start to feel cold I stop my nebula. It still surrounds us, like a light sizzling fog, but it’s not getting any stronger. The kiss feels like it’ll never stop getting better. I can feel the need inside of me burning hotter in her the longer the kiss lasts, and it feels better as her desire surges back into me. It’s just a loop of lips and need over and over again. My eyes ache behind their lids. My pussy is on fire, but doesn’t feel half as hot as my higher set of lips.
All I can do is kiss her, and kiss her, and kiss her until the world fades to black.
“If you texted me, I would have shown up sooner, Sylvia. Then I could have helped, or gotten someone to help—that’s half the reason I ask you to text me. You know that right?” Pamela was sweet enough to take me home with her after I finally came to. Pamela is really warm to lay against. “Are you sure you’re okay? I could try to find you a doctor to give you a more thorough look-over if you aren’t sure. I don’t want anything to happen to you, and who knows what kind of side effects that drug might have.”
“Would have texted you, but my phone . . . I kinda fried it. Accident. Don’t worry, I can get a new one, and I’m fine. Unfortunately. If I was having any mental side-effects, maybe I’d stop feeling like such a moron. I can’t believe I had to be torn away from her by the police after I passed out. I remember getting her gun away from her, she made it so I couldn’t move my feet then she kissed me and . . . I needed to kiss her.” I hide my face in Pamela’s chest.
Pamela’s fingers slide through my hair. She always touches me just right. I’ve never told Nikki that some of our meetings get a little more intimate, but I don’t really think about Pamela when we’re not together. It just . . . drifts.
It’s late, almost time for the news. I almost ask Pamela why she isn’t down at the network before I remember it’s Saturday. A girl as pretty as her doesn’t need to work weekends in the news business. She really has come so far so quick. It probably won’t be long before she’s too big to care if I let her know what’s happening in my life. I hope that doesn’t happen for my sake, but for hers . . .
She slides her nails over my scalp, and I let my eyes flutter all on their own. It’s always so easy to focus on her and not care as much about everything else. She doesn’t judge me. She’s always so tender.
I kiss her neck and squeeze closer on the couch. “I know you won’t be on tonight, but can we watch the news? There’s something sexy about being held by you and watching the news, even if you won’t be on it. If it’s not okay, we don’t have to. I don’t want to wreck the moment.”
“Mmm of course we can! You know I like you taking an interest in current events. Keeps you on your toes! Heroines who can’t stay on their toes get hurt, and you know how much I don’t want that to happen.” I kiss her neck again with a little suckle in thanks as I hear the remote’s magic bring my television to life. “Just as long as you keep doing that. You really do have very yummy lips, did you know that? Letting your lips make contact is dangerous with super-drugs or not.”
I nip and suck along the space between her neck and her shoulder. Her skin always tastes so amazing. I can still think, but I admit it’s hard to keep my hand out from under my skirt. My panties are already ruined being this close to her.
The news starts with two of the most boring subjects ever discussed on television: traffic and weather. They’re important, but not very exciting. Then the mood changes, and the woman’s voice grows much more serious. “By now everyone has heard about how Nebula, or Sylvia LaSilvas, stopped the villain Chem from escaping her attempted vault robbery, startling news has come from Midas City. Her mother, Sarah LaSilvas, better known as Silver Girl, the super heroine responsible for saving her daughter from the conspiracy of the Rising Phoenix, and ending countless villainous plots involving mind control . . . has gone missing.”
My blood turns cold. I twist to stare at the screen. “Mom . . .”
“There was no sign of struggle. A witness, her wife Valerie Raine-LaSilvas, at the time stated one moment she was there in their home, the next she was answering the door, and then she was gone. While disappearances are nothing new to the Midas City heroine, sources who would not allow their names to be disclosed have informed us that there was evidence that pointed to something more sinister than a kidnapping. We’ll have more on this story as it develops. All of us here wish her the best, and hope this is just—” I grab away the remote and flick the television off.
Sarah is in trouble. For some reason I know it’s not just a minor inconvenience. She hasn’t been kidnapped in years. Silver blood on the welcome mat, her clothing found in tatters . . . I need to know what makes them think this was more than a kidnapping. Valerie would have called me. Fuck! Perfect day to bust my phone.
Without words I jump to my feet, grab, and dial home. One, two, three, four rings . . . “Hi! You’ve reached the LaSilvas residence! If you’re a super villain, good job using a phone book. Please leave your alias, phone number, and a time when you can be reached. If you’re not a super villain, leave the same stuff! We’ll call you back as soon as we can!”
I hang up and dial again. I still can’t believe Valerie let Sarah record that message. She’d been threatening it for years, but Valerie always had the good sense to stop her.
“Hi! You’ve reached the La—”
“Damnit, answer!” I call again and hope it’s just a dream. It feels too real. Sarah is in danger and I don’t know why. She was always putting her nose places she shouldn’t, but always promised as long as Aurora and I lived at home she’d be more careful. Someone might have aimed for more than just her head.
We aren’t there anymore. She’s had a year of pissing the wrong people off. It’s been almost a year since I saw her. I haven’t been able to apologize for what a stupid bitch I was.
“Hi! You’ve reached the LaSilvas res—”
I hang up again. “Pamela, there’s a new story brewing right now. Silver Girl is gone, and her wife isn’t answering their phone. I need to hop the next plane back home. You wanna come?”